Beer Update (Bottles, On Draft, Coming Soon, etc...)

Hello All, I just wanted to drop a quick update on your liver about the beers currently on draft, in bottle and coming soon at The Bashore BrewHaus.

IN BOTTLES

• Kremlin Joe's Russian Imperial Stout - 12.5% ABV - we have a few bombers of this beer remaining although I am trying to save a few to see how well it ages.
• Vanilla Bean Kremlin Joe's - 12.5% ABV - we have about 10 bottles of the vanilla version of the RIS left.
• Hardtke Hop Juice - 6.5% ABV - just a couple bottles of this left!
• Valdez - 5% ABV - the unlabeled monster, I had a bottle of this the other night and the coffee bitterness is starting to diminish leaving a nice brown ale
• Pineapple Express - 8.5% ABV - cracked the first bottle of this last weekend, a great sour citrus beer, still have 6 left

ON DRAFT

• Kremlin Joe's Russian Imperial Stout - 12.5% ABV - this beer is holding up well on tap, the sweetness has died off quit a bit leave behind a great boozey warmth
• Rampaging Giant Pale Ale - 6.25% ABV - this beer has gotten progressively less sweet with age and has rounded into a nice session brew.

COMING SOON

• FiddleStix Lemon Grass Wheat Beer - an American Hefeweizen Ale brewed with grains of paradise and lemon grass. Its currently in primary fermentation. This ale should be on tap in the middle of June
• Donkey Piss American Ale - a basic ale brewed with the purpose of heavy consumption. This ale is in primary fermentation. Available July 11th - BEER OLYMPICS!
• BashoreFest - A German style Marzen, brewed using traditional German methods. This beer is currently in its secondary fermentation. After 3 months of lagering it will be available for the Oktoberfest Party at the end of September.
• Leggy Blonde - look for the return of this favorite in early July

Beer Game Poll and Beer Olympics Update

Well, the votes are in and you voted Beer Pong as your favorite beer game on the most recent blog poll question. Be on the lookout for future poll questions to be posted.
We've had a great response on the Beer Olympics event planned for July 11th and if everything stays on course we should have no problem putting teams together for the event. However, as I'm sure everyone is aware times are extremely tough in Michigan especially for those families with General Motors workers in them. Depending on what happens next month when GM goes to Congress, the Beer Olympics may be changed to simply a potluck BBQ. With Irene working for GM and me being employed through the state times are pretty tough and it may not be feasible to hold a mass drinking event this summer. Regardless we would still like to throw a BBQ and hang out. I will keep all of you posted on what the plans are. Sometime in June I will either send out an email with teams on it or I will let you all know if the event is canceled.

Cheers!

Available soon!

This beer is one of the more limited selections we have ever produced (~7/22oz. bottles available) and it will be available soon as in this weekend.

Pineapple Express is a French Bier de Garde weighing in at somewhere between 8.5 and 9% ABV.

The base of this beer is spicey with a nice wheat flavor, then two pounds of pineapple was added during secondary fermentation to give the beer a refreshing citrus tartness.

Pineapple Express is dangerously drinkable and refreshing with enough alcohol to knock you on your ass.

Stop in and split a bottle with a friend before they are all gone.

Cheers!

Short's 5th Anniversary Party

So this past weekend we made the trip to beautiful Bellaire, MI to participate in Short's 5th Anniversary Party. For those of you that know little to none about Short's Brewery it is a small brewery north of Traverse City that has grown each of its five years in existence to the point that 3 of there bottles are now distributed all over the state of Michigan. It is also one of the fastest up in coming breweries in the country. Known not only for putting out fantastically unique and delicious beers, but also for being one of the friendliest place we've ever had a beer. It really is amazing when you can walk into a place that you only visit once every six months or so and not only a bartender or waitstaff remember you, but also the owners and management team. This is what Short's is. I've always thought that having a beer in this tiny establishment is like sitting down and having a beer with friends.

Every brewer needs to have people that inspire them to come up with ideas for making the beer that they do. For me (Matt) my inspiration comes from several different origins in no particular order of importance. First, from my friends that come over drink, enjoy and critique the beers that I brew. I appreciate every bit of positive and negative feedback that I get and its what helps my beer grown and evolve. Secondly, my wife, who inspired me to get into making beer by buying my first homebrewing kit along with the countless upgrades to my system throughout the few years I've been brewing. In addition, she's a beer wife which is not the easiest thing to be when you have to put up with a person that constantly talks about beer making it, drinking it, different ideas for things I want to do with it....not to mention the countless trip we venture on together for some beer that is probably overpriced...but delicious. Finally, everyone has to look up to someone who has the same kind of attitude about brewing. For me Joe Short is one of those people. He is a brewer that still makes beer for all the same reasons that he started making beer, never sacrificing quality for quantity. I have, do and will always appreciate Short's willingness to push the limits of what a beer can and should be.

We uploaded a video that Irene took during a tour that Joe gave to us and some friends. If you ever get the chance to visit Bellaire and Short's Brewery, take the opportunity, its well worth the trip. Cheers to Short's Brewery and there continued success.